The book of Revelation fascinates and also perplexes the modern reader. For the present generation, it is the most obscure and controversial Book in the Bible. There is a reason for that.
This book is written from the perspective of the spirit world. Everything of consequence that happens on this earth is introduced first of all in the spirit world. Spirituality offers a worldview that suggests there is more to life than just what people experience on a sensory and physical level. This world consists of The Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of Light and The Kingdom of Darkness. While God controls all things, His control is carried out according to the time period under discussion, and that the kingdom of darkness stands in opposition. Even though this doesn’t stop the plan of God, it does at times delay that plan. The events portrayed in Revelation are carried out in the spirit world that will have their climax on the earth. “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) As we read and study Revelation, we need to ask God to open up our spirits so that we can understand what God wants us to learn.
One of the other things that we need to realize about Revelation is that it is written with symbols. Symbols are a path to revelation. A Bible Symbol is a word in the Bible that has a deeper alternative meaning that is in addition to the plain and obvious meaning. The alternative meaning is the “Symbolic Meaning” or “Symbolic Definition”. God designed to give some texts a deeper, alternative meaning. Bible Symbol definitions are defined by other Bible texts. In other word, the symbols are explained somewhere else in the Bible. Every Bible Symbol is defined by the Bible or it is not a true Bible Symbol. Bible Symbols are used as Keys to unlock the deeper meaning, and doctrinal teachings of the Bible. I will write more in depth in another Bible Study on symbolism.